Tabulating-scale.



No. 68!,630. Patented Aug. 27, I90l.

A. L. DICKINSON.

TABULATING SCALE.

(Application filed Sept. 12. 1900.)

(No Model.)

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ARTHUR L. DICKINSON, OF. BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK.

TABULATING -SCAL.E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 681,630, dated August 27, 1901.

Application filed September 12, 1900. Serial No. (N0 111061913 To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR L. DICKINSON, a citizen of theUnited States,residing at Binghamton, in the county of Broome, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 'Iabulating-Scales; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to type-writers in general, and more particularly to the scales thereof; and it has for its object to provide a scale which will be so constructed as 'to permit the operator to more easily determine the proper spacing'in tabnlating-work than with the ordinary scale now in use. vVith these objects in view I have constructed a device of this nature such as is described in this specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate similar parts in both views, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a scale made in accordance with my invention, and Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof.

In the manufacture of my scale I provide a base-plate a, upon the upper face of which is secured by solder or otherwise a second plate b. Upon the outer face of the second plate are placed the usual figures and division-marks of the scale. Longitudinally of the plate I) is a slot 0, the walls of which are beveled in the direction of the plate a and in diverging lines, resulting in a dovetail passage. Mounted in this passage and slidably arranged are two or more strips of material whose edges conform to the walls of the passage, and these strips are placed in position before the plates (6 and b are assembled. They will remain in position, but may be moved in the passage. The strips 0 are each marked with a number of ciphers or other suitable numerical characters, divided into groups of three by commas, bounded on the left by a dollar (#3) mark and on the right by a period as shown in Fig. 1. The period on the right may be followed by additional ciphers, if desired, as indicated in dotted lines.

The operation of my invention is as follows: Assuming that it is desired to write a column of figures-as in addition, for instance -and that'it is desired to have the decimal-point fall at the point marked 40, one of the strips 0 is placed so as to allow its period to fall directly above the 40 mark on the scale. If the first amount to be written is five thousand, the operator will readily see that in writing the amount the indicator 011 the carrier should be placed at the fourth cipher to the left of the period In using this form for the subsequent amounts the periods will fall one directly below the other throughout the entire column. It will be readily understood that I may make various alterations in my invention without departing materially from the spirit thereof.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is 1. A scale for type-writers comprising two plates, a base-plate and a second plate, a 1011- gitudinal slot in the second plate extending part way of its length bounded by side walls and end walls, the latter forming stops, the second plate conforming in shape to the baseplate and being perm anently attached thereto, a plurality of strips mounted upon the base plate'within the walls of the slot of the second plate, the strips and the second plate being of equal thickness, whereby their upper faces will lie flush, said strips being permanently in engagement with the base-plate but having a longitudinal movement, limited by the stops at the ends of the second plate, the strips being held in engagement with the base-plate by the second plate.

2. A scale for type-writers comprising two plates, a base-plate and a second plate, a longitudinal slot in the second plate extending part way of its length, resulting in side Walls and end walls, the second plate being permanently attached to the base plate, the under side of the former being secured to the upper face of the latter, strips slidably arranged within the slot of the second plate, the walls of the slot diverging toward the base-plate and the strips having beveled sides to conform to the walls, said strips being held in permanent engagement with the basc plate but having a longitudinal movement, said longitudinal movement being limited by the end walls of the slot.

In testimony whereof I hereunto sign my name, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 17th day of August, 1900.

ARTHUR, L. DICKINSON.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. RIDER, WM. F. VAN CLEVE. 

